Idea Factory International appears to be following a trend of introducing the girls of Date A Live by order their appearance as the company has continued their series of character introductions for Date A Live: Rio Reincarnation and this time the one being introduced is Kurumi Tokisaki, also known as Nightmare.
As fans of the series know, Kurumi is one of the only Spirits that Shido has encountered that he was unable to “save” through a date causing her to be listed as “The Worst Spirit.” Although most Spirits enter the human world by accident, she is a special entity who can travel between worlds at will. Make no mistake, there is some method to her madness. Her motives, however, are not yet clear. The angel she manifests is Zafkiel.
You can check out these new screenshots below and keep an eye out for the game when it is released on the PlayStation 4 on June 18th in North America and June 21st in Europe with a PC release arriving later in the year.
THQ Nordic and Black Forest Games announced their post-apocalyptic adventure Fade to Silence has launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. The game is priced at $39.99 USD/$59.95 AUD on PC, and $49.99 USD on consoles. The game originally hit Steam Early Access in December 2017.
Fade to Silence throws players into a permanent winter landscape where Eldritch horrors stalk the wilderness. Players can play alone on with a friend as they explore the wasteland for supplies and resources to build their settlement. Just be wary, as the cold winter can be just as deadly as the monsters, as plunging temperatures and white out blizzards will sap strength and test the player’s preparation.
Among the many 2D fighting game franchises Mortal Kombat has always stood out among the major three and after a successful soft-reboot back in 2011 the franchise has only grown more popular over the years. Raiden’s efforts to alter the timeline haven’t gone unnoticed and now that an Elder God with the power to control time itself has stepped in, Mortal Kombat 11 features an even more expansive storyline than before along with a number of gameplay modifications and a few new characters to spice things up. The question is, does this entry bring the series to new heights or is it dragged down by extra baggage?
Story
Mortal Kombat 11 takes place after the events of Mortal Kombat X that saw Shinnok defeated by the forces of Earthrealm at a terrible cost. Numerous longtime fighters had fallen in battle only to return as Revenants and even Raiden saw himself corrupted during the battle. Things quickly grow more dire as Kronika, the Elder God of time, has found Raiden’s interference with the realms to be an affront to her own plans and she begins to force the past and present together in an effort to create a “New Era.”
This sees numerous fighters from the past step into the present day where many of them have either been killed off or revived as Revenants and witnessing the various interactions these characters tend to have with one another makes for some great scenes, especially when certain fighters meet their own daughters that are nearly older than them. If someone would say ten years ago that Mortal Kombat could deliver a solid lore-filled storyline that has its fair share of drama, loss, and some moments of levity here and there few would believe them but that is what NetherRealm studios manages to pull off here.
That being said, the motivations for some characters flip flop incredibly easily at times and it is quite evident that the writers struggled to find a solid ending for the storyline here, especially given how the story concludes. Even with these faults players will find that the different twists, lengthy cutscenes showing off plenty of action that allows the player to jump in for a few fights as most characters, and aforementioned character interactions make the story one that fans will not want to pass up, even if it falls apart a bit by the end.
Gameplay
Wherever players choose to start their experience in Mortal Kombat 11 the game will initially give players a chance to make use of a fairly in-depth tutorial that explains not only the ins and outs of the standard gameplay elements but also goes over the various changes that have been made to the game’s combat system in this entry. In fact, if you really want to stick it out in the tutorial players can find that they can even learn how to manage the battlefield and use certain combos to their advantages while character specific training options are also available, allowing both returning and new players to get a feel for how their favorite, or perhaps new, fighter controls in this new entry.
However many other elements of the game have been changed a bit and streamlined to make fights run a bit smoother and at a brisker pace, which is a bit ironic given that many of the faster movement elements are now removed. Players will find that dash distance is smaller now and running has been removed entirely though defensive options, as well as offensive ones, remain as tried and true as ever. Rather than using an energy meter like previous games players now have access to both Offensive and Defensive meters that can be used to trigger a variety of effects such as using Offensive meter to perform armored wake-up attacks or extending the damage of a special move or using the Defensive meter to immediately drop out of a potential juggle or avoid ending up in a precarious knocked down state.
Even attempting to try and turtle up is a bit discouraged unless players are prepared to be active with their blocks as chip damage still exists outside of performing “Flawless Blocks” that require a block right as a blow strikes. That being said there are still plenty of unique ways a fight can go, especially since powerful Krushing Blows deliver x-ray style devastation with increased damage whenever used as a counter attack and players can still use another powerful weapon at least once a match, Fatal Blow. Fatal Blows can only be used once per match and only if the user’s health drops to around 33%. These flashy attacks replace the previous X-Ray strikes and deliver massive damage to the enemy, often turning the fight around entirely if used correctly but it is a bit annoying as many of these Fatal Blows do drag on a bit too long and hurt the pace of a fight.
The overall roster for Mortal Kombat 11 may be missing a few characters that fans may have wanted but packing 24 fighters at launch (with the 25th being a pre-order bonus) there is still tons of variety here. This is especially true since three new characters in the forms of Cetrion, the Kollector, and Geras have been added to the group. Customization returns and allows players to choose various skins that they have unlocked and little equipment pieces as well that can alter their fighters’ appearances though it is worth noting that these generally are only available for use in single player as online modes tend to restrict players to the default two options available as default.
Now while players will want to dive into the story first to unlock a certain character and various cosmetic items for their fighters, the majority of their time will be spent elsewhere either fighting online against other players or taking on the numerous towers available hoping for some good rewards. Thankfully the online mode works great with a variety of solid match types available including a king of the hill and tournament mode. Other than a rare disconnect or laggy connection nearly every fight online has run smoothly and just in case you fight someone that chooses to drop out early, they still receive a fitting punishment.
Towers on the other hand are something of a bane on the existence of Mortal Kombat 11 as it often does a great job squandering the solid fighting mechanics that the developers have crafted in favor of ridiculously challenging and exploitative modifications. You see, while the aforementioned customization does allow players plenty of options to change the looks of their character and to a lesser extent add various buffs to certain abilities almost every element of customization and other aspect of unlockable content in the game is locked behind mechanics worse than many mobile games on the market today.
By playing the game players earn three types of currency that can then be used in the returning Krypt. This Krypt is actually quite interesting to explore and features a number of little puzzles to solve but it also contains completely randomized chests that require the aforementioned currency to unlock. Every fight rewards players with coins in some form or another while defeating foes rewards souls and performing brutalities or fatalities rewards a heart. Each of these three types of currency can then be used to open chests that reward the player with a randomized roll of literally anything. Concept art, other types of currency, consumables usable in the tower, equipment or augments for characters, logos or backgrounds for a fighter card, costumes, and even other fatalities can potentially be obtained here. That being said, the fact that you can, and will have to, pay additional coins to have the chests reset with additional loot in hopes of getting something useful is already a bad sign as unless you happen to be quite lucky it’ll be a very long grind until you manage to find some useful drops here since special drops seem to be quite rare.
Of course if you simply want to you can also purchase premium currency called Time Crystals that can then be used to simply buy whatever is currently available from the rotating in-game store. Forcing players to deal with this level of microtransactions and randomization in loot for a fighting game is already annoying enough but when the actual towers themselves tend to feel incredibly unfair, things only get worse. Players have the ability to take part in standard Klassic Towers that work like an arcade mode with every character getting a special ending and select a difficulty that fits them without worrying about other modifiers but the Towers of Time are another beast entirely.
The Towers of Time are a time-limited series of fights that see the player needing to complete a handful of towers to unlock special rewards such as costumes and pieces of equipment for various fighters. Unfortunately these fights tend to be incredibly unfair most often than not. Even with plenty of practice with your favorite character these tower battles stack not only challenging AI but modifiers that will constantly beat you down. Numerous hazards such as freezing projectiles, health draining missiles that heal your opponent, boost your enemy’s attack while lowering your health, and many more will only affect the player and encourage them to use consumables that can also only be obtained at random from the Krypt. Unless the player opts to use their limited consumables to counter these effects, they are simply at the mercy of whatever the enemy AI feels like throwing at them. Even then these consumables often fail to work correctly even if they directly counter the effects of the modifiers leaving players feel like they are being jipped even worse.
Between these elements and the game telling players to skip difficult fights with also limited skip tokens and you have a recipe for disaster. To make things worse, even if you do want to obtain equipment and costumes that don’t fall into whatever current Towers of Time are available you will need to spend in-game money once again to unlock that character specific tower at an ever increasing cost to obtain items for your preferred fighters. This sheer level of grind required to hopefully unlock items that match your playstyle or favorite fighters and the nasty nature of the Towers of Time leaves Mortal Kombat 11 with the foul stench of extra monetization at every turn outside of its well-crafted combat system.
Visuals & Audio
As soon as you begin playing Mortal Kombat 11 it is evident that NetherRealms spent a lot of time making sure this game looked as detailed as possible. Every character model is gorgeously detailed, even background characters for the most part, and the stages themselves are wonderfully designed with plenty of little interactable elements that can play a part in the fights. Thanks to the highly detailed character models the aforementioned lengthy cutscenes end up feeling quite cinematic in nature and will not disappoint fans of the series. The gore is also easily at its highest level possible with so many of the Fatalities, Krushing Blows, and Fatal Blows delivering gruesome results that you’ll have to see to truly believe, if you can unlock some of them that is.
The soundtrack features a great mix of background music for use in the game’s various stages and story mode while the characters’ voice work, outside of the awful sounding Sonya Blade, is top notch. It is noticeable that nearly every fighter has different dialogue with one another when beginning a fight and this is a very nice touch that more games should mimic.
Overall
Delivering a solid and entertaining storyline coupled with well-honed combat mechanics make Mortal Kombat 11 a great fighting game that returning fans and even newcomers can grasp thanks to the extensive tutorials available. With so many solid tweaks to the fighting system players will find that this remains one of the best fighters in the series. That being said, the fact that literally every other aspect outside of the fight is plagued with obvious efforts to force players to spend a little extra through microtransactions or simply slog through a grind worse than many mobile games in order to unlock even the smallest of extra content makes Mortal Kombat 11 an excellent fighter that is buried under the weight of monetization.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Note: Capsule Computers was provided a copy of this game from Saber Interactive for review purposes.
Video Review
Overview
Set in same world as the World War Zbook and film, the video game takes players to the US, Israel, Russia, and Japan. Survivors of the zombie outbreak are just barely hanging on, each group looking for long term security. The World War Z game offers four player story-based co-op and 4v4 PVP.
Story
The stories in World
War Z are short. Each chapter represents the story from one locale, and each
chapter contains two to three episodes. The straight forward nature makes it
easy for players who haven’t watched the film to get a rough idea of what is
going on in the world, though there are certain major events referred to in the
dialogue that aren’t fully explained for those new to the franchise.
The game’s writers have only enough time to offer some basic background information. While episodic four player co-op shooter games tend to be short on story, World War Z is further limited by having different settings and characters for each chapter. There just isn’t enough time for any reasonable character development or deep plots. The writers do a decent enough job given the circumstances. The plots are interesting, albeit straightforward, stories. The writers try to make up for the lack of the character development and background information in the collectible tab in the main menu. Where the character development falls the shortest is the random character lines in game. The writers fail to use quiet moments in the game to better flesh out characters through conversation as most of the lines seem purely focused on the task at hand.
The voice lines in the game are a bit corny and limited. The
audio engine seems to favour a chattier environment, which makes the woefully inadequate
number of lines obvious. While reducing the number of random callouts would be
a workable fix, World War Z would
have been better off with more lines in general.
Gameplay
World War Z does
not stray far from the gameplay first established by Left 4 Dead. Four players cooperate to blast their way through
hordes of zombies and protect each other from special zombies that can
incapacitate stragglers or restrict movement. What differentiates World War Z from other titles in the sub-genre
is the fast paced, arcade style action and the defensive set ups.
The game’s zombie behaviour is impressive. It’s incredible
to watch the zombies swarm, behaving almost like a fluid than a mass of undead
bodies. On their own, the basic zombies are easy enough to kill, but their vast
numbers and quick speed is what makes World
War Z so challenging. It only takes a few seconds for zombies to suddenly swarm
and overwhelm the players.
Co-op is a lot of fun. The map design is good, though
generally very straight forward. The game’s pacing is well balanced, breaking
up forward momentum with interesting defensive set pieces. The game limits the randomness
between playthroughs to item drop location and types of item, so learning the
maps does not take long. The defensive items have pre-set locations, encouraging
players to focus more on overall strategy than finding the perfect arc of fire.
Players have access to a variety of character classes and
weapons to level up. Account level, class level, and weapon level all increase
independently. Account level is the total amount of experience gained, while
class and weapon levels are based on performance with that class or weapon. Reaching
a higher level will only make an improved version of the weapon or class
ability available for purchase with credits. A set amount of credits per
difficulty level are awarded for winning a co-op or multiplayer map, with lesser
amounts awarded for a loss. As a result,
World War Z requires a bit too much
grinding, especially as prices for higher end skills and equipment rises. A
boost in end of game credit rewards would be an easy fix to the issue. I think
a 15% overall increase would be a good start.
The AI is passable, but still short of an actual human
player. The AI does a decent job of staying close to players and freeing them
from pins. Their aim is okay for the difficulty level, but they don’t carry or
use items. Solo players will have their work cut out for them as they alone
will be responsible for finding defensive items and setting them up.
The difficulty is generally balanced well between maps. The
only exception is the map Setting Sun. The final defensive battle is significantly
more challenging than any other map in the game. The combination of multiple places
to defend, the inability to see how much health each point has left, and the sheer
size of the area requires more coordination and preparation than other levels.
The PVP multiplayer section of World War Z is boring. It’s billed as a player versus player versus
zombie environment. In reality, multiplayer feels more like a generic shooter
that throws in waves of zombies every once in a while. The bigger problem with
multiplayer is how the class system is implemented into multiplayer. The exact
same class system in co-op is in multiplayer; the only difference is multiplayer
has its own set of classes and no weapon progression. It’s a bit unbalanced, as
low level players don’t have access to the same set of buffs as high level
ones. Since World War Z’s talent
system offers different options at the same tier, Saber Interactive should have
given all players a base set of talents, with higher levels unlocking new
alternative talents at different tiers.
The PC version of World
War Z falls short. The game lacks full support for switching between toggle
and hold. Players can only choose for sprint activation, as crouch is locked to
toggle and aiming is locked to hold. There is no option for adjusting the field
of view or support for ultra widescreen monitors at this time either. I also noticed
the game suffered from severe hang ups whenever the game needed to load a new
area or a player joined the game. Additionally, the game has no option for removing
an overlay with game data on the bottom of the screen.
Visuals
World War Z uses a
realistic art style that works well for the game given its movie roots. The
character designs fit each locale, and the maps are do a good job of visually
conveying their setting. The developers use subtle visual cues well to signal
important gameplay mechanics, like yellow paint for areas that can be climbed
over and silhouettes where defensive structures can be placed.
Audio
The audio experience in World
War Z is a bit rough. The sound effects and music are decent, but the game’s
voice acting is poor. The voice actors do not always have great lines to work
with and several are noticeably weaker in skill. A couple voice actors really struggle
to maintain their accents, often falling back to an American accent at random
times. I found the inconsistency to be rather jarring and suspect using only
American accents would have provided a better experience.
Overall
World War Z offers an enjoyable, fast
paced co-operative experience. The game is far from perfect, as the multiplayer
is completely forgettable, and the voice acting is pretty rough. The game will benefit
from more content, especially new story content with the existing characters. World War Z isn’t the new king of four
player co-op shooters but Left 4 Dead fans
will definitely enjoy the change of pace until the mythical third game finally
appears.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
BANDAI
NAMCO Entertainment to distribute Cyberpunk 2077 in Australia and New
Zealand
TUESDAY
30TH APRIL, 2019 – CD PROJEKT RED, creator and publisher of The Witcher
series of games, and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe are excited to
announce their partnership to distribute Cyberpunk 2077 in
Australia and New Zealand.
“We have a long history of successful cooperation with BANDAI
NAMCO and I’m convinced Cyberpunk 2077 is in good hands in Australia and New
Zealand,” said Michał Nowakowski, CD PROJEKT’s Member of the Board and SVP
of Business Development.
“We are delighted and proud that CD
PROJEKT RED has chosen BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment as their partner in ANZ for
their upcoming game Cyberpunk2077,” said Mark Gilbert, General Manager of
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Australia and New Zealand. “Cyberpunk 2077 is highly
anticipated by gamers worldwide and we look forward to working closely with CD
PROJEKT RED in bringing this masterpiece to the local market.”
Cyberpunk 2077 is a
narrative-driven, open-world RPG set in the most vibrant and dangerous
metropolis of the future — Night City. The game follows the story of V, a
mercenary on the rise in a world of cyberenhanced street warriors, tech-savvy
netrunners and corporate life-hackers. Featuring CD PROJEKT RED’s hallmark
concept of choices and consequences, players will face difficult decisions that
ripple through the entire game. Winner of over 100 awards at E3 2018, Cyberpunk
2077 is set in the universe of the classic pen & paper RPG system,
Cyberpunk 2020.
CD PROJEKT RED is a game development studio
founded in 2002. It develops and publishes video games for personal computers
and video game consoles. The studio’s flagship titles include The Witcher
series of games, GWENT: The Witcher Card Game and the upcoming futuristic AAA
role-playing game — Cyberpunk 2077. Together with GOG.COM, a game store offering
hand-picked titles for PC and Mac, CD PROJEKT RED is part of the CD PROJEKT
Capital Group. CD PROJEKT S.A. is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ISIN:
PLOPTTC00011).
SHADOW
OF THE TOMB RAIDER’S FINAL DLC “THE PATH HOME” IS OUT NOW
SYDNEY, 30th April 2019 – Square Enix®, Eidos-Montréal™, and Crystal Dynamics® are excited to announce “The Path Home,” the final DLC adventure for Shadow of the Tomb Raider™, is available now. Out as an exclusive free download to all Season Pass holders, “The Path Home” is available for the Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC/Steam®.
Following the end of Shadow of
the Tomb Raider, the dust had settled and the battle seemed over. However,
when allies go missing, Lara must search ancient tunnels to try and find them.
Lara’s new journey features a brand-new challenge tomb, which contains a secret
that’s been hidden for ages.
Also exclusive to the Season Pass
are the new Midnight Sentinel outfit, which enables longer focus and perception
durations, and the Silver Strike bow, which causes arrows to penetrate enemy
body armour or even pierce multiple unarmoured enemies. In addition, the new
Magic Touch skill allows Lara to consume fewer resources when crafting on the
go. Completing the Season Pass additions, Score Attack and Time Attack are now
playable for all tombs from the main game.
Shadow
of the Tomb Raider
is available now worldwide on Xbox One, PlayStation®4, and Windows PC/Steam.
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED CRITICAL MODE NOW AVAILABLE IN KINGDOM HEARTS III
New Update Adds
Harder Difficulty Mode, New Combat Abilities and More
SYDNEY, 30th April 2019
– Following the critically acclaimed launch earlier this year, KINGDOM
HEARTS III continues to expand with a brand new update today. In this
update, players can embark on–or relive–the adventure of a lifetime with Sora
and friends in the all-new Critical Mode, an additional high-difficulty mode
that will challenge players in their fight against the darkness.
Critical Mode will challenge even the most skilled Keyblade wielder to
be more tactical as they battle formidable foes. In this new mode:
Maximum
HP and MP are halved
The
frequency of situation commands and magic is lowered
Sora can perform new abilities
exclusive to this harder difficulty mode
Additionally, this update adds the feature for players to carry over
their Keyblades to a new game. Keyblades that are carried over will return to
their default strength, but through this optional feature, players can utilize
Keyblades otherwise not obtained until later in the game from the beginning.
KINGDOM HEARTS
III is available now
for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and on Xbox One family of
devices, including Xbox One X. For more information, visit http://www.kingdomhearts.com/
ONINAKI SHEDS LIGHT AND DARKNESS ON THE WATCHERS, LINNE, AND THE MALICIOUS NIGHT DEVIL
Key Characters
Introduced for Latest Tokyo RPG Factory Title
SYDNEY, 30th April 2019 – Square Enix Ltd., today released further
details on the characters in ONINAKI™, the upcoming all-new action-RPG
developed by the talented Tokyo RPG Factory™ team.
In ONINAKI, players will journey as Kagachi, a young Watcher who embodies the tenets of reincarnation, and whose sacred duty is to usher Lost Souls into the next world. Upon meeting Linne, a mysterious young girl with no memory of her past, his fate becomes entwined with blood and death. During his journey, players will also meet Kushi, an exemplary Watcher and trusted leader, Mayura, a Watcher with a kind heart, and the malicious Night Devil, a swordsman from a forgotten time who is hunting Linne.
ONINAKI will
be available for the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation®4 computer
entertainment system and STEAM® this summer.
Saints Row®: The Third™ – The Full Package presents When Good Heists
Go Bad Gameplay Trailer
Larkspur, Calif.
– April 29. 2019 – To celebrate the upcoming release of Saints Row:
The Third – The Full Package, Deep Silver today takes a look back at when
the best laid plans of a Saints Row heist went south, with hilarious results,
in the premiere installment of The Memorable Moments video series.
Saints Row: The
Third – The Full Package is coming at you on May 10 for Nintendo Switch.
The Memorable Moments 1 – When Good Heists Go Bad is the first in a series of gameplay trailers to roll out in the next few weeks, bringing with it a sense of crime-flavored nostalgia longtime fans. This first video highlights the moment when the Third Street Saints were the kings of Stilwater. Pierce has just become the face of a soft drink campaign, while The Boss, Shaundi and GAT are taking a shot at robbing Stilbank’s National Bank. Things do not go as planned.
For more details
about Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package for Nintendo Switch, visit www.saintsrow.com.
# # #
About Saints
Row: The Third Years after taking Stilwater for their own, the Third Street Saints have
evolved from street gang to household brand name, with Saints sneakers, Saints
energy drinks and Johnny Gat bobble head dolls all available at a store near
you. The Saints are kings of Stillwater, but their celebrity status has not
gone unnoticed. The Syndicate, a legendary criminal fraternity with pawns in
play all over the globe, has turned its eye on the Saints and demands tribute.
Refusing to kneel to the Syndicate, you take the fight to a new city, playing
out the most outlandish gameplay scenarios ever seen.
About Deep
Silver Deep Silver develops and distributes interactive games for all
platforms. The Deep Silver label means to captivate all gamers who have a
passion for thrilling gameplay in exciting game worlds. Deep Silver works with
its partners to achieve a maximum of success while maintaining the highest
possible quality, always focusing on what the customer desires.
Deep Silver has
published more than 200 games since 2003, including its own brands like the
open world extravaganza Saints Row, the zombie action franchise Dead Island,
and the grim post-apocalyptic future of the Metro series. Upcoming highlights
from Deep Silver include Dead Island 2. Deep Silver also owns the development
studios Deep Silver Dambuster Studios in Nottingham, UK; Deep Silver Fishlabs
in Hamburg, Germany, and Deep Silver Volition based in Champaign, IL, USA. For
more information please visit www.deepsilver.com
Koch Media is a
leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products (software,
games and films). The company’s own publishing activities, marketing and
distribution extend throughout Europe and the USA. The Koch Media group has
more than 20 years of experience in the digital media business, and has risen
to become the number one distributor in Europe. It has also formed strategic
alliances with numerous games and software publishers: Bethesda, Capcom,
Kaspersky Labs, NC SOFT, Sega, Square Enix and Tecmo-Koei, etc. in various
European countries. With Headquarter in Höfen, Austria Koch Media owns branches
in Germany, England, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Nordic
regions, Benelux, Australia, Czech Republic and the United States.
All product
titles, publisher names, trademarks, artwork and associated imagery are
trademarks, registered trademarks and/or copyright material of the respective
owners. All rights reserved.
Veteran Battlefield Producer Launches Kickstarter
Campaign to Crowdfund Revolutionary New Game
Producer Jojje Dalunde seeks to merge digital card
play with
Battle Royale elements in his new game Hunter Gatherer
Sweden, April 29, 2019 – With a vision to create a
rich, 3D fantasy world complete with robust character development, veteran game
producer Jojje Dalunde announced today the launch of a Kickstarter campaign
seeking support to develop his game Hunter Gatherer.
Developed by Dalunde’s new indie studio Archipelago Games,
Hunter Gatherer combines some of the most popular genres into one innovative
new title. Taking elements inspired by legendary card games like Hearthstone,
Magic the Gathering, and Slay the Spire, and role playing games like Breath of
the Wild, and adding exciting Battle Royale elements from Fortnite and Player
Unknown’s Battlegrounds, Hunter Gatherer seeks to create an entirely new
gameplay experience, featuring humor, adventure, and many unexpected twists and
turns.
“With Hunter Gatherer, we are combining genres that go so
incredibly well together,” says Dalunde. “Frankly, I’m shocked it hasn’t been done
before! I absolutely love classic digital card games, but at times found them
to be very solitary experiences. In gaming, I prefer playing with friends.
Being able to do that in COOP or MP was very important to me, and critical to
the design of Hunter Gatherer. There is something so appealing on a cellular
level to the tension of building up your character and deck, all while
defeating enemies, getting stronger by each killing blow, and becoming the
definition of a raid boss. I am certain I’m not alone in this, and that’s why I
created this game.”
With characters like the Unarmed Assassin and the Falconeer,
players will hunt and gather their way through a vast and persistent open 3D
fantasy world, shaping their playstyle by picking a character, building a deck,
and distributing attribute points. All of the popular elements of a traditional
card game are present, as are the exciting ingredients that create an epic
typical Battle Royale, but where Hunter Gatherer truly sets itself apart is
that not only can the game be played alone, it can be in o-op with friends, or
in Multiplayer where one can take on the world.
Before founding Archipelago Games, Jojje Dalunde spent 10
years in the AAA games industry as a software engineer and producer at
DICE/Electronic Arts on the highly successful Battlefield franchise. He
recently returned to his native Sweden to build out Archipelago Games and
create his first game, Hunter Gatherer.
The Kickstarter campaign runs through
May 30th, with a goal of $50,000 USD. Backers will have access to
exclusive skins and digital rewards, cool swag, and will be able to play Hunter
Gatherer before anyone else. The rewards and skins offered in the Kickstarter
will never again be available, giving backers the unique opportunity to be part
of history and obtain items that no other players will have. In addition,
supporters are encouraged to share their ideas about the game and what they
would like to see in it with the team.
Archipelago Games is an indie studio based in the small town
of Mariefred, 45 minutes outside Stockholm, Sweden. Founder Jojje Dalunde has
10 years of experience in the AAA games industry, as a Software Engineer and
Producer on the Battlefield-franchise at DICE / Electronic Arts. Contributors
and developers on Hunter Gatherer are currently split across four continents.
The goal this year is to unite everyone under one roof in a dedicated office
space.
